1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a coating film transfer tool, and particularly, relates to a coating film transfer tool having a coating film transfer tool replacement holder (a component that forms part of the coating film transfer tool and is configured to be replaceable together with a consumable such as a coating film).
2. Description of the Related Art
Coating film transfer tools used for gluing or correction of typographical errors have been proposed heretofore. A transfer tape of the coating film transfer tool has a peelable transfer film on the surface of a resin tape, a paper tape or the like. With the coating film transfer tool having the resin tape or the like as a medium for conveying the transfer film, a user can glue or correct typographical errors by pressing and applying the transfer film provided on the surface of the tape to an object of transfer.
In general, the coating film transfer tool comprises a supply bobbin, a supply shaft, a head, a winding bobbin, and a winding shaft. Around the supply bobbin, an unused transfer tape is wound. The supply bobbin is mounted on the supply shaft to supply the transfer tape. Over the head for applying the transfer tape to the object of transfer, the transfer tape pulled out of the supply bobbin is tensioned. Around the winding bobbin, the used transfer tape pulled out of the supply bobbin and passed by the head is wound. On the winding shaft, the winding bobbin is mounted.
Conventionally, after using up the unused transfer tape wound around the supply bobbin, the user has discarded a coating film transfer tool main body as a used one. In recent years, however, the user can detach the used transfer tape and mount the unused transfer tape on the coating film transfer tool main body. In other words, the user can reuse the coating film transfer tool main body by replacing the used transfer tape with the unused transfer tape.
There are various types of coating film transfer tools reusable by replacement of the transfer tape. For example, there is a coating film transfer tool having a configuration that replacement members are the supply shaft, the winding shaft, the head, the supply bobbin and the winding bobbin, and that the coating film transfer tool main body is only a cover to which the replacement members are attached.
However, in the coating film transfer tool having the above configuration, most of the members composing the coating film transfer tool are the replacement members. Therefore, even if the user replaces the transfer tape and reuses the coating film transfer tool main body, a main body member that can be reused by the user is only the cover. That is, the conventional replaceable (reusable) coating film transfer tool is not efficient in view of reuse.
On the other hand, for efficient reuse of the coating film transfer tool main body, there is a coating film transfer tool in which only the supply bobbin and winding bobbin are the replacement members. When replacing the transfer tape of this coating film transfer tool, the user firstly mounts the supply bobbin on the supply shaft attached to the coating film transfer tool main body. Next, the user holds a tape part of the transfer tape wound around the supply bobbin, and tensions the tape over the head. Then, the user mounts the winding bobbin on the winding shaft. When replacing the transfer tape of the coating film transfer tool, the user needs to manually tension the flexible transfer tape over the head fixed to the coating film transfer tool. Therefore, an operation of replacing the transfer tape may become troublesome.
Accordingly, in recent years, such a coating film transfer tool has been used, that uses a coating film transfer tool replacement holder comprising the transfer tape and other member. There are various types of replacement holders.
An example of the coating film transfer tool comprising the replacement holder is as described below. The replacement holder comprises the supply bobbin around which the unused transfer tape is wound, the winding bobbin, and the head. The user respectively mounts the supply bobbin and winding bobbin of the replacement holder on a supply shaft and winding shaft disposed to a cover of the coating film transfer tool main body, thereby replacing the transfer tape.
When replacing the replacement holder, the user detaches the holder from the coating film transfer tool main body. Next, the user replaces the holder with a new replacement holder having the supply bobbin around which the unused transfer tape is wound. Therefore, at the time of replacement of the transfer tape of the coating film transfer tool, it is possible to leave the supply shaft and the winding shaft on the coating film transfer tool main body. In other words, in this coating film transfer tool, it is possible to reuse a plurality of members of the coating film transfer tool main body. Moreover, the user can replace the transfer tape only by attachment and detachment of the replacement holder, so that the replacement operation is easy compared with in the conventional coating film transfer tool.
However, when the user replaces the replacement holder, the head is replaced together with the holder and cannot be left on the main body. In replacement of the transfer tape, there is no need to always replace the head. That is, this coating film transfer tool is not efficient in view of reuse of the coating film transfer tool main body. On the other hand, in the coating film transfer tool in which the head is left on the coating film transfer tool main body, a process of tensioning the transfer tape after replacement over the head is troublesome in replacement of the transfer tape.
That is, in the coating film transfer tool, in order to favorably transfer the transfer film to the object of transfer, there is a need to tension the transfer tape over the head in a tense state to some extent. However, it is difficult and considerably troublesome to tension the transfer tape in the tense state from the supply bobbin to the winding bobbin through the head. It is because the transfer tape wound around the supply bobbin in advance is held on the winding bobbin, and the transfer tape having the transfer film has low hardness and is hard to fix in a certain form.
Therefore, the replacement holder requires consideration of efficient reuse of the coating film transfer tool, and satisfaction of the needs to replace with ease and keep the mounted transfer tape in a tense state.
Accordingly, there is a proposal of a coating film transfer tool having a supply shaft, a supply gear, a relay gear, a winding shaft, a winding gear and a head in a coating film transfer tool case composed of two covers facing each other above and below, wherein: these members in the case are disposed to either the upper cover or the lower cover facing each other; when the replaceable supply bobbin and winding bobbin around which the transfer tape is wound are replaced, in accordance with an operation of separating the upper and lower covers, the head of the coating film transfer tool is rotated and housed between the supply shaft and the winding shaft by an arm attached to the supply gear; a peripheral wall of a main body on rotation tracks of the arm and the transfer head is notched; and a part wall fitted with the peripheral wall of the main body is protruded on the upper cover (refer to, for example, Japanese Patent No. 3520138).
The coating film transfer tool disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3520138 is efficient in view of reuse because only the supply bobbin and winding bobbin are replaced at the time of replacement of the transfer tape. Moreover, it is easy to mount the supply bobbin and the winding bobbin because, at the time of replacement of the transfer tape, the head is housed between the supply shaft and the winding shaft. Furthermore, at the time of use of the coating film transfer tool, the head housed between the supply bobbin and the winding bobbin at the time of replacement is rotated by the arm to return to the initial position, so that it is possible to keep the transfer tape tensioned over the head in a tense state.
However, the coating film transfer tool disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 3520138 has a configuration that the head is housed between the supply shaft and the winding shaft, and the part on the rotation track of the head needs to be protruded so that rotation of the head by the arm is allowed.
According to this configuration, it is necessary to secure a region for housing the head between the supply shaft and the winding shaft at the very least, and secure a region for the head to move on the rotation track of the head, with the result that the coating film transfer tool becomes large in size. The coating film transfer tool larger in size than a certain degree may affect use of the coating film transfer tool, and increase of the length of the transfer tape winding may become difficult.